Sightseeing

I started my Monday morning by paying a visit to the 🏛 Berliner Schloss (Palace of Berlin). When I saw the construction site in 2011 they had only laid out the foundations and I wanted to check how much progress had been made. The walls are still exposed raw concrete in places, but the building is taking shape and built up to the roof. While it’s nothing compared to the 500 years it took to build the Strasbourg Cathedral, it is impressive that something can take such a long time to make.

Another thing I had seen in 2011 and wanted to go back to was the 🏛 Denkmal zur Bücherverbrennung am 10. Mai 1933 (Nazi book burning memorial) on Bebelplatz. I was moved when I stood there the first time, and once again this time. The event it refers to has such a powerful impact to me, and the monument succeeds at capturing it.

I quickly visited Gendarmenmarkt and Pariserplatz (where the famous Brandenburg gate stands), then moved to an area of the city I had not previously had time to explore. I went to see the 🏛 Reichstag, 🏛 Bundestag, 🏛 Bundeskanzleramt and 🏛 House of the cultures of the world. Unfortunately that’s when the rain decided to make a come back, so I didn’t really get to enjoy the view as much as I expected, but the massive buildings were still interesting to see.

… and back again

The main reason the trip on the way in was so adventurous was that there were renovations on some parts of the route and the trains weren’t running as per the usual schedule. That was last week and didn’t apply anymore this week. I was able to book a nightjet, which is a sleeper coach, i.e. a night train with beds. I wouldn’t say it was great, but it was alright. If you ever have to get on such a train, expect a hostel-like experience with bunk beds and tight shared space. It left at 23:10 and took me from Berlin all the way to Offenburg. The remaining part of the trip was a 25 minutes ride on a regional train. I was home at 7:30, fresh and ready to start my day of work.

Bad decisions make great stories.

I do not regret the development of the eastbound trip (and I didn’t have that many alternatives anyway) but I have to say it was nice having a smoother end to this journey.